BROOKFIELD -- Whisconier Middle School fifth-grader Emilio Diamantini has always loved to doodle and draw, but when he could no longer run at recess because of asthma he discovered a new form of entertainment with a pencil, clipboard and lined paper.

A one-time Pokemon fan, 10-year-old, bespectacled Emilio started drawing his own brand of quirky creatures. From there, he started to write storylines to transform the individual drawings into his own fantasy-style comic strip, complete with evildoers and super warriors.

"Long ago, an evil man named Evo caused trouble in Eseland. He made evil creatures out of good DNA. He named the project DNA Revolution,'' wrote Emilio in a square of one strip that includes a bat-like creature in a corner of the tiny postage-stamp size square. In the next square, Emilio continued the story. "He was put in prison 64. The most cruel prison in history. He broke out ... you must stop him and his army.''

A regular at the Regional YMCA, where he and his twin brother, Enzo, take swimming lessons, Emilio one afternoon displayed his latest comic strip characters: underwater animal creatures with a twist. With precise, miniature pencil strokes, Emilio drew an otherworldly squid he calls "Squard,'' and a slug (a caterpillar-like thing) with a volcano on its back.

"I have a pretty good imagination,'' Emilio said.

A lover of the sciences, Emilio said he likes to include a scientific element with all of his characters -- some resembling animals, insects or sea life -- and add a dose of personality. He also created Valco, a headless character and his family.

"He's really good; I'm serious," said Enzo who drew some of his own characters, including a shark and a spider, for his brother to consider adapting and adding to his strips.

As for where he will take his brand of art, Emilio, his brother and mother, Theresa Tate, suggest there is no telling where this might lead.

If he doesn't become an Olympic swimmer, one of his ambitions, Emilio said he thinks he might like to be "an editor for cartoons."

For now, though, he's satisfied with coming up with new drawings for his school buddies.

"I brought some to school yesterday," he said, "and they told me they were really good. I said, `Thank you."